OWINGS MILLS, Md.- It took until the fifth round and the 175th overall pick for the Baltimore Ravens to address their offensive line in the NFL Draft, with the selection of Penn State guard John Urschel. Many expected the organization to address the need as early as the 17th selection, but missed out on their initial target Notre Dame’s Zack Martin. But Urschel did play in a pro style offense for his entire college career, especially under now Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien.

The one thing that drastically stands out about Urschel is his intelligence, being a two time Academic All-American and winner of William V. Campbell Trophy as the nations premier college football Scholar-Athlete. He also obtained his Masters degree in Mathematics, while enrolled in Penn State. He displayed that on the field with good instincts and understanding of assignments.

On the field, he was elected as a Co-Captian for the Nittany Lions in 2013. Though there are not many statistics to quantify an offensive lineman’s performance, he has recorded 21 “touchdown-resulting” blocks in his career. He is a two year starter (24 games), while playing all three interior line positions in his career.

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Former Towson running back Terrance West was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2014 National Football League Draft on Friday night.

West was the sixth running back taken in this year’s draft and the 94th overall selection.

West becomes the fifth Towson football player to be drafted and the highest ever selection. Offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round at pick No. 125 overall in 2007. Running backs David Meggett (1989) and Tony Vinson (1995) were each chosen in the fifth round and kicker Randy Bielski was chosen in the 12th round in 1980.

West was Cleveland’s fourth pick in the first three rounds. The Browns selected cornerback Justin Gilbert with the eighth overall pick and then traded back into the first round to grab Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel with the 22nd overall pick. Cleveland selected offensive tackle Joel Bitonio with the third pick in the second round (No. 35 overall) and also picked outside linebacker Chris Kirksey from Iowa earlier in the third round.

A three-time All-America running back, West was a consensus All-America first team selection in 2013 when he led all college football players with 2,509 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns.

Honored as the 2013 Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the 2013 Walter Payton Award, West led the Tigers to the NCAA FCS championship game. With a record of 13-3, the Tigers were national runners-up.

With 2,509 rushing yards, West shattered the NCAA FCS single season record of 2,326 yards set by Jamaal Branch of Colgate in 2003. He also broke the NCAA FCS record with 42 touchdowns, eclipsing the record of 39 set by Omar Cuff of Delaware in 2007.

In his three-year career at Towson, West ran for 4,849 yards on 802 carries with 84 touchdowns. His 84 career rushing touchdowns tied the NCAA FCS record set by Adrian Peterson of Georgia Southern from 1998 to 2001.

West, who also caught two touchdown passes in his career, ended his career with 86 total touchdowns scored. He ranks third on the NCAA FCS all-time list of touchdown scorers. Brian Westbrook of Villanova holds the record with 89 touchdowns while Peterson is second with 87 touchdowns.

The winner of the Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in NCAA FCS in 2011, West earned All-CAA first team honors three times. During his career, West was named as the CAA Offensive Player of the Week seven times.

In 2013, he scored at least one touchdown in all 16 games for the Tigers. He also ran for more than 100 yards 12 times and had four 200-plus-yard games. In the Tigers’ NCAA FCS quarterfinal victory over No. 2 Eastern Illinois, he set an NCAA FCS playoff record by rushing for 354 yards. He also scored five touchdowns against Eastern Illinois.

BD: Barry with the first round in the books, it definitely did not disappoint with intrigue and drama. Looking over the first 32 selections, several teams hit on big time players that fill big time needs. With that being said, what selections do you think were the best in terms of value of the pick and team fit?

BK: There were three picks that stood out as being the best, and all of them came in the final third of the NFL Draft. In a night filled with trades and uncertainty, three teams got significantly better with their selections.

The bronze goes to the Carolina Panthers, who selected Florida State wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin with the 28th overall pick. Benjamin is a big target (6’5″, 240 lbs) that Cam Newton will love throwing the ball to. With Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell, and Ted Ginn Jr. no longer with the team, wide receiver was a clear position of need. While Penn State’s Allen Robinson or Indiana’s Cody Latimer may have been safer selections, I appreciate the Panthers’ willingness to take Benjamin, who can reach his high ceiling for a team that will give the opportunity to lead the team in targets and touchdowns.

My silver medal goes to the Minnesota Vikings for their second selection, nabbing quarterback Teddy Bridgewater with the last pick in the first round. The Vikings engineered a trade with the Seahawks to grab Bridgewater, who was a favorite to be the number one overall pick when the draft process began. This pick was outstanding for a number of reasons. The Vikings did not reach for a quarterback with their first selection (9th overall after trading back with the Cleveland Browns), presumably because Blake Bortles was off the board. Instead, the Vikings jumped back in to the first round at the appropriate time. There is little doubt that the Houston Texans would have taken Bridgewater with the first pick in the second round today, which would have given the Texans a franchise quarterback to go along with Jadeveon Clowney. Despite a shaky Pro Day, many NFL draft scouts still had Bridgewater as their number one overall player. To get that kind of player with the last pick in the first round is a very good get.

There is no debating who gets the award for the best pick of the night, and it comes from a team that will host the Baltimore Ravens this season. The New Orleans Saints trading up to take former Oregon State wide receiver Brandin Cooks. The Saints had to make some difficult roster decisions this offseason, parting company with WR Lance Moore and trading away another offensive weapon in Darren Sproles. In Cooks, the Saints get a faster and stronger version of DeSean Jackson, without the off-field issues. Need I say more? The Saints kept their two big targets in Jimmy Graham and Marques Colston, and the diminutive Cooks will fit in nicely as a slot receiver. For a team that loves to throw the ball, Cooks should find himself as the early favorite for Rookie of the Year.

On the other hand, there were some selections in last night’s first round that weren’t so good. Brett, which picks stood out to you as being the worst?

BD: Per usual, there were certainly some head scratches in the first round. Though each team’s evaluation for each player is completely different, there has to an understanding of a prospects value. Selecting someone that could be available 15-20 picks later is a reach and we saw several teams do that.

The obvious choice for biggest reach is the Philadelphia Eagles selection of Louisville outside linebacker Marcus Smith. They did make the smart decision by acquiring an extra 3rd round pick by moving down four slots to 26 overall. As the clock ran down, the feeling was they were trying to move down again, but couldn’t get a deal in place. So the team obviously went with the player they were targeting all along. And though he does fill one of their biggest needs, while be a natural scheme fit, Smith would have likely been available in the middle of the second round. Hence making it the worst pick in the first round.

Now the pick directly afterwards left a similar feeling, when the Arizona Cardinals took Washington State safety Deone Buchanon with the 27th pick. Another team that moved down to add extra picks, who drastically reached for on the guy they wanted. Most notably about this pick, Northern Illinois S Jimmie Ward was rated much higher by almost everyone, yet went three picks later.

Another pick that was somewhat confusing did not involve a reach, but major questions with the position the team targeted. The Dallas Cowboys selection of Notre Dame offensive lineman Zack Martin had everyone shocked, especially the Baltimore Ravens, who were reported to be highly interested in him. The Cowboys play in a high octane offensive division, against the Eagles, Redskins and Giants, while having the worst defense in football in 2013. Electing to improve the offensive line, instead of upgrading any number of needs on the defensive side of the ball makes little sense.

Finally, it is always nice to take a jab at the Pittsburgh Steelers and it seems like a big miss for them with the 15th overall pick. Ohio State outside linebacker Ryan Shazier is a nice prospect, but was certainly a reach, while also not filling any of their long list of needs. The Steelers selected an edge rusher last year in Jarvis Jones, while paying Jason Worilds a lot of money at the same position as well. With other prospects with better value to a team retooling, Shazier seemed like a luxury pick the team could not afford to take this early.

In the end, we will not really see the whole plan in place until Saturday, when all the picks unfold and give an idea on how each team wanted to attack the best three days in any sports off season.